My Ren, My Werewolf
by Bloody Rose021
Summary: Ren has gotten into the habit of dreaming of Kyoko every night. Sweet dreams make for a bright start to the day after all. But, even a dream can have consequences in the real world.
1. Prologue

My Ren, My Werewolf

A/N: Hey, it's been a while. I've been wanting to write a werewolf story for Skip Beat for a while now, but I didn't really know where to start. So, after thinking about it for a few months. This is where I decided to begin. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters. That honor and privilege goes to Nakamura sensei, may she continue writing Skip Beat! for many years to come.

Prologue

_My Dad was my hero. The only mixed-blood in the history of our clan's 400 year legacy to have gained the approval of the entire Hizuri Clan, even after marrying a human. I wanted to live up to my father's legacy, to surpass even his greatness within the clan... I wanted to prove to the clan that I could beat the odds. That I was as worthy of their approval as my father was before me._

* * *

Though there were once many werewolf clans scattered throughout Japan, only three clans remained after the turn of the 20th century. The oldest and weakest of the three clans was the Hizuri clan. Outnumbering the other two clans by a factor of four or more, the Hizuri clan was especially proud of their ability to blend in seamlessly with human society. The majority of the Hizuri clan no longer had the power to completely change into wolves, however, the charm and magnetism of their lupine ancestors was still very much present in their descendants, especially in those who had decided to make their living out in the public.

As werewolves living in a human-dominated world, every Hizuri had been trained to wield enormous self-control in the face of what they would have to deal with for the rest of their lives once they turned 21 – the savage instincts and appearance of a wolf that would arise if they ever allowed their emotions to get out of hand. For this reason, many in the Hizuri clan chose professions that would make use of and polish that self-control. Although they no longer needed to worry about changing into a wolf under the light of the full moon, the moon was still a variable that, left unchecked, could ruin a werewolf's life. A werewolf would die on the new or full moon. No exceptions. How long you survived after entering adulthood was a testament to your strength of will, your self-control and your ability to find comrades to rely on in times of need.

* * *

_Every month the full moon shines its light on me, every month the black sky on the night of the new moon taunts me. Every month I hurt. My body hurts from the light of the full moon. My mind aches from the darkness of the new moon. I feel as if I will be ripped apart, shredded from the inside by these feelings. I will survive. I will show them. I will not be a slave to the moon. I will not be a slave to anyone. Every day I tell myself, "I will survive." Every night I tell myself, "I am the one in charge. These instincts do not rule me." I love my mother, but she cannot understand my pain. I love my father, but he has already conquered his pain. Every month I suffer alone, every month I train to be stronger. Every month, I dream of the day my life is no longer bound to the moon._

* * *

As a tightly knit community, werewolves rarely married outside of their own kind. There was no rule against marrying humans, but many within the clans frowned upon the practice. There were too many tragic stories of werewolves falling in love with humans, only to be tormented by the fear and horror of their loved ones, who usually ran away, children or not, never looking back. Every child of the Hizuri clan had heard of these stories, usually from a member of the family who had experienced such a traumatic incident.

There was one other reason why many of their kind avoided mating with humans – werewolves with mixed blood were much more likely to express long dormant genetic traits passed on from their ancestors. Ironically, it was as if the dilution of their bestial blood was required if the clan wished to have more powerful offspring. The greater the dilution, the more powerful and the more dangerous the offspring became.

In essence, those of mixed blood were the creatures closest in resemblance to the werewolves of long ago. Stronger and more feral than their full-blooded brethren, those of mixed blood were feared and reviled within the werewolf community, for good reason. Those of mixed blood had more difficulty suppressing their bestial instincts during their younger years, often becoming a danger to themselves as well as their clan, with few in their clan able to suppress even a child as young as ten years of age. Without the love and support of their clan, few survived to adulthood. The few who did survive often were exiled from their clan. They were too powerful to control, too dangerous to allow them to stay within the clan's ranks. To their full-blooded brethren, they were either monsters or, for a lucky few, they were the masters of the clan.

* * *

_Hizuri Kuu is my father, the pride of the Hizuri clan. Hizuri Kuon is his son. The quarter-blood. The feared one. Hizuri Kuon is talked about out of sight of the pride of the Hizuri clan. His every move compared to the one who survived. His every effort found lacking when faced with the truth within his blood. Kuon is a monster. I... am a monster. _

_Help me. Someone please, help me._

A/N: Well, Kuon made that a lot darker than I was originally planning on writing, but it fits with the way Kuon felt before Lory whisked him away to Japan. I felt like writing this made me understand a little better the pain that poor Kuon went through as a child in the States. The poor thing...

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this fanfic. I'd love to hear what you think.


	2. Chapter 1

My Ren, My Werewolf

A/N: Hi everyone, it's been awhile. I took a really long time to decide how I wanted this chapter to go, mainly because I wasn't sure how far back I wanted to go into Ren's past. Yashiro really helped move this chapter along, so thank goodness for bespectacled meddlers.

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! That honor belongs to Nakamura sensei.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Yashiro walked across the LME parking lot at a brisk pace, opened the passenger door to a white automobile and smoothly slid inside. "Thanks for waiting."

"No problem, I didn't wait long."

Yashiro fastened his seatbelt, making sure it was snug against his chest before turning with a disgruntled twist to his mouth to face the pensive driver. "Ren, what happened was entirely your own fault, you know."

Ren let out a small sigh, focusing his attention on entering the jam-packed street and ignoring the rant that was to come.

"Yes, it was wrong of Kyoko chan to come flying down three flights of stairs, but you didn't have to stand in her way, much less pick her up and swing her in a full circle once she reached the bottom. What the hell were you thinking?" Yashiro glared full force at Ren, who was still doing his best to block him out.

Finally easing the car out onto the street, Ren ended the awkward silence with a tiny shrug. "Mogami san was running down the stairs with a brilliant smile on her face and with her arms wide open, so naturally, I gave her a hug."

"Kotonami san. That smile, that hug was meant for Kotonami san. No matter how love struck you are Ren, it's impossible for you to have not heard that ear-splitting shriek." After delivered such a heated statement, Yashiro then proceeded to ball his hands up into two fists in a cutesy pose and shrieked at the top of his lungs, "Moooookoooo saaaaan!"

Ren winced, putting his free hand over the ear facing Yashiro and hoping for a red light to put his other ear out of its misery. 'Yashiro san, your window is open...'

At least thirty seconds later, Yashiro finally stopped shrieking, turning his head towards the open window to breathe in the fresh air and replenish his starving lungs. Lungs replenished, Yashiro let out a dramatic sigh, "Poor Kyoko chan, the girl was so flustered she kept bowing her apologies with every step she took towards the door. I don't think she turned her back to us until she was finally outside."

"..."

"..."

"..." Yashiro's hackles started to rise at Ren's complete lack of response. "Considering the 'slight misunderstanding' you two had earlier, you would think that extra care would be involved with dealing with Kyoko chan for the rest of the day. Extra care!" 'Hmm? Wait a second...' "Ren, " Yashiro's voice softened as he pondered the events earlier on in the day, "What was it that Kyoko chan wanted to give you earlier?"

Ren smiled faintly, "Ren wine gelee."

Yashiro's eyes grew round with glee, "Kyoko chan gave you red wine gelee? Was that your Valentines' Day gift?"

"It was."

"Congratulations, Ren!" Yashiro was so happy for Ren he fairly sparkled with joy, "You got a special gift from Kyoko chan on Valentines' Day! That is definitely progress!" 'Kyoko chan might be starting to feel something special towards Ren, even if only a little!'

Ren heaved a mental sigh of relief as he saw the entrance to the parking lot for Yashiro's apartment complex.

"Wait, then that means... Ren, you got a special gift from Kyoko chan on Valentines' Day and _still_ managed to end the day with Kyoko chan running away from you? I know that today hasn't been the most stress free day for you, but even if you're still angry about you-know-what, don't take it out on Kyoko chan. Physical contact is not the answer. Yet."

Yashiro decided it was time to to end his lecture, carefully unbuckling his seat belt and turning to face Ren to say good-bye. For the first time since he entered the car, Yashiro took a good look at Ren's face, then took another closer look. "Ren, are you feeling alright? Your face looks really pale."

"I'm fine."

"No, really, are you alright?" Yashiro put his hand on Ren's forehead, quickly pulling back with a wince, "Your forehead's as cold as ice. Did Kyoko chan jumping out of your arms and running away make you go into shock? You didn't really eat dinner after Kyoko chan left the set either..."

"Yashiro san, I'm fine. It's nothing a hot shower won't cure." Ren moved his face away from Yashiro, a bit uncomfortable with how intently his manager was staring at him. "I'll come pick you up at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow."

Yashiro reluctantly slid out of the car, shivering in the cold February air. "Alright then, good work. I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

Ren slowly bent his arms, his back muscles straining as he stopped parallel to the ground. After a few seconds, Ren pushed himself up at an excruciatingly slow pace, making sure to match his breathing to his movement. Down, exhale. Up, inhale. Down. Up. Again and again, with sweat pouring down his back, his hair plastered to his skull as he continued the torturous movements. The moment his breathing grew ragged, a spasm tore through his abdominal muscles. Ren gritted his teeth to keep from allowing any sound from coming out as wave upon wave of excruciating pain ripped through him.

The full moon shined through the open window in his bedroom, the bright light making a mockery of the fragile control he had over his body.

"_Kuon, make sure to control your breathing. As you inhale, tighten your upper abdominal muscles. As you exhale, tighten your lower abdominal muscles. Imagine that there is a line between your diaphragm and the middle of your pelvis, inhaling draws the line up, exhaling pulls the line down. Slow your breathing down as much as possible, matching your movements to your breathing."_

'Yes, boss.' Ren forced his breathing to slow down, breathing in through his nose and exhaling through his mouth. The abdominal muscles, laid bare by the open black shirt Ren had thrown on, tightened and quivered as he concentrated his energy into his muscles, forcing them to tighten and relax in time to his breathing. 'Yes, like this...'

"_Remember, the most important part of this exercise is making use of positive thinking. Without it, your mind will continually try to focus on the pain in your body and drain your energy until you pass out. Passing out during a full-moon is very, very bad." Lory shuddered dramatically, "A friend of mine passed out on the full-moon the day after he reached maturity. He was stuck with fur and whiskers on his face for a month."_

_Lory firmly clasped Kuon's shoulders, the serious light in his eyes willing Kuon to take heed. "The best method is to remember happy memories and voice them aloud, as they are a part of who you are and remind you there is more to your life than the pain you feel. Every time you exhale, say something related to the happy memory you are thinking of. It can be a new thought every time, or the same thought over and over as long as it sustains you. Remember, think of happy memories and voice them aloud."_

"Yes... boss." Slowly pushing himself up, Ren inhaled deeply, his entire body shuddering from the strain. Carefully, carefully timing his breathing to his body's movement, Ren forced himself to search through his memories, the words spilling out of his mouth simply following the wandering path through memory lane his tired brain decided to take.

"Acting...Dark Moon...Katsuki..." Ren's eyes grew heavy-lidded as he thought back on the day Kyoko helped him discover how he wanted to act. "My...Katsuki...Mizuki...Kyoko chan...under...me...Kyoko chan..."

"Yes, Tsuruga san?"

Ren's eyes flew open in shock. There, nestled neatly between his arms on the floor, was Kyoko.

Ren simply stared at Kyoko in amazement, watching as she tilted her head and innocently met his gaze.

"Tsuruga san, what's wrong?" Kyoko slowly reached up, her hand scarcely touching the tips of Ren's hair before Ren reared up onto his haunches.

A muffled groan escaped his lips as his entire body protested the sudden movement. By the time the tension in his muscles receded, the image of Kyoko beneath him had disappeared. 'What... was that?'

Unable to clear the cobwebs from his mind, Ren let the question drift away as he lowered himself to the floor to try again.

Breathe in. Out. "Kyoko chan...smiling...hamburger...king...Kyoko chan...biking over... speed limit...for me...Kyoko chan's...birthday...present...cute...Kyoko chan...sulking...because of...me..." Ren closed his eyes, mentally laughing at himself as the Kyoko parade continued to spill from his mouth. 'In the end, all I can think of is her.'

"Kyoko chan... amazing...reaction...Kyoko chan...Corn...Kyoko...lap...pillow...Kyoko...mine..."

* * *

The sound of the doorbell ringing quickly caught Ren's attention. Running his hands through his hair to loosen the strands, Ren strolled towards the front door, smiling faintly at the sight of Kyoko through the peephole before opening the door. "Good evening, Mogami san."

Kyoko's eyes grew wide and round as her gaze settled on the patch of exposed skin Ren's unbuttoned shirt revealed, her cheeks growing cherry apple red before she turned away to look at the ground. "G-good evening, Tsuruga san."

Ren bit back a grin at the sight of Kyoko's reaction to seeing him, a warm fuzzy feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. 'I'm surprised she came over after how she took off running earlier.'

Before he could get his emotions under control, Kyoko snapped her head back to look at Ren, her eyes narrowing as she quickly looked him over. "Tsuruga san, you're drenched in sweat!"

Ren leaned against the door and casually waved a hand towards the inside of his apartment, "I was just getting some exercise in before bed."

Kyoko's entire body grew rigid, her gaze slowly inching past Ren to peer into the apartment's darkened interior. "I...see. I won't disturb you then. Good night, Tsuruga san." Her face flushed with color as she stiffly turned and began walking towards the elevator.

"Mogami san, are you misunderstanding something here? I thought we had already agreed that I am not a playboy." 'Although you did start comparing me to a con artist.'

Encouraged by the fact that Kyoko had come to a halt, Ren called after her once more, "There's no one else in this apartment. I was exercising alone."

Kyoko slowly turned to look over her shoulder at Ren, her head tilting sideways as she gazed at him with suspicion.

"You are the only woman who has ever set foot inside this apartment, Mogami san."

Kyoko immediately replied with a thoughtful look on her face, "So you take your women somewhere else instead, to maintain your privacy."

Ren sighed in exasperation and purposefully strode towards Kyoko, only stopping when they were standing face to face. "I don't have any women, as you put it, Mogami san. Just you, someone who has yet to tell me what brings her here." 'If I didn't know any better, I would think she was jealous. Luckily, I know better.'

Kyoko's entire face grew scarlet red, with even the tips of her ears steaming from the heat. Unfortunately, Ren only had a brief moment to enjoy Kyoko's reaction before a wave of pain ripped through his torso, almost bringing him to his knees.

"Tsuruga san?! What's wrong?" Ren felt Kyoko grab onto his arm to hoist him upright and leaned against her for support. "Yashiro san asked me to come over and check on you since you didn't look well earlier so I brought some food and medicine with me just in case." They slowly made their way inside Ren's apartment, with Ren mentally wincing at the disarray his living room was in.

Kyoko carefully moved a jacket and a pair of pants off of the couch and gingerly set Ren down. "Tsuruga san, no matter how little attention you pay to your body's condition, you were being way too reckless exercising this much on an empty stomach! Especially so if you already weren't feeling well!"

A soft cold hand gently touched his forehead, "Well, at least you don't seem to be running a fever this time. I'll make a light supper for you, so make sure you finish everything." Ren nodded, keeping his eyes closed as he focused on his breathing to dull the pain. The sound of Kyoko bustling around in the kitchen prompted a small smile on his face.

All too soon, Kyoko was back with a steaming hot bowl of soup, the smell of ginger promising to warm his cold, cramping muscles. Under Kyoko's watchful eyes, Ren slowly ate his way through the small meal, ignoring the protests of his stomach to the intrusion of actual food. After the last spoonful of soup had been finished, Ren heaved a sigh of relief and turned to face Kyoko, "Mogami san, thank you. That was delicious."

Kyoko smiled happily and quickly took the bowl away, taking it to the kitchen before he had a chance to protest. A few minutes later, Kyoko took a seat on a nearby chair. "Tsuruga san, do you feel any better?"

Ren smiled warmly, "Yes, much better. Thank you, Mogami san."

"W-well then, I guess I better get going now." A suddenly flustered Kyoko quickly gathered her things and bowed to Ren, "Good night, Tsuruga san, make sure you go and get some rest."

Ren instinctively reached out and caught Kyoko's wrist, "Don't go. Not yet." The words came out as a whispered murmur, soft and low. "Please."

Kyoko tried to pull her hand free from Ren's grasp, prompting Ren to tighten his hold and pull her down next to him on the couch. "Please."

"Tsu-Tsuruga san, please let go of my hand." Kyoko's eyes kept darting to Ren's hand on her wrist, then to the door and back.

"Will you stay?"

"I'll stay for a few minutes, so please let go of my hand!"

Ren let Kyoko's wrist slip from his fingers and held both hands up as an apology. "Okay."

Kyoko sighed harshly, fixing Ren with a stern look, "You really do need to rest, Tsuruga san. You almost collapsed earlier."

"Will you help me rest then?"

"Eh?" Kyoko's eyes widened briefly, then narrowed in understanding. "Let me go get you a pillow."

"My favorite pillow's right in front of me." Ren stared at Kyoko as she looked around the room in confusion, her brows furrowing cutely as she tried to decipher his meaning.

"Where?"

Ren blinked innocently at Kyoko's question. "Do you want me to show you?"

Kyoko nodded distractedly, still looking around the room.

A satisfied smile curled its way onto Ren's lips as he laid his head on Kyoko's lap, stretching his legs out over the length of the couch. "It's right here."

"Tsuruga san!"

At Kyoko's cry of outrage, Ren looked up into Kyoko's eyes, "I felt very rested when you lent me your lap last time. It's been my favorite pillow ever since."

Kyoko's mouth opened and closed a few times before she turned her gaze to the ceiling, a faint dusting of pink scattered across her cheeks. "Just for a little while then."

Ren felt the tension in his body melt away at Kyoko's words, his eyes closing as the exhaustion he had fought down came rushing to the surface. A few minutes later, Ren felt Kyoko's hand begin to stroke his hair, a low rumbling noise resonating deep within in his throat when Kyoko gently scratched his ears. 'This feels like heaven...'

"Tsuruga san?"

"Hmmm?"

"May I stroke your tail too?"

'Tail?' Ren's eyes snapped open, his sides heaving in exertion as he pushed off the ground one last time. Pulling himself to his feet, Ren looked behind him.

"Shit, I have a tail."

* * *

A/N: Well, Valentine's Day is finally over for Ren, but hopefully he'll have something good happen in the future! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this fanfic, I really do appreciate it. Have a great day!


	3. Chapter 2

My Ren My Werewolf

A/N: I'm very happy I finally finished this chapter. Kyoko did not cooperate at first, but we negotiated a few things and it all worked out.

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and favorited this fanfic, the reactions I get to this fanfic give me energy to keep going when I'm trying to write.

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! That honor belongs to Yoshiki Nakamura sensei.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

"Tsuruga san?"

"Hmmm?"

'Please, please let him say yes this time.' Kyoko mustered up all her courage to whisper, "May I stroke your tail too?"

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Downstairs, Okami-san chuckled as she bustled about getting ready for opening time. "Kyoko chan sure is energetic in the morning these days."

Taisho stilled, sending a brief glance upwards at the source of the racket. A tiny smile made its way onto his stern face as he got back to work. "Hmm."

* * *

"CUT! It's 13:00, so let's break for lunch. Everyone who will be in Scene 143, be back on set in an hour."

"Hai!" Chiori hurried off the set, scanning her surroundings as she walked towards her dressing room.

"Chiorin!" The actresses playing Kaori and Tsugumi beckoned her over to their table, inviting her to have a seat.

Chiori gave them a bright and cheery smile, clasping her hands behind her back. "Makino san, have you seen Kyoko san anywhere?"

"Natsu?" Makino thought for a moment. "I'm pretty sure I saw her walking towards her dressing room before the last scene we shot. She might still be in there."

Smoothly giving her thanks, Chiori swiftly moved away from their table and back towards the dressing rooms, 'So I was already going in the right direction in the first place.'

Chiori knocked politely on the closed door of Kyoko's dressing room and waited. 'Hmm? Is she not in right now?' "Kyoko san, are you there?"

Slowly opening the door, Chiori poked her head into the room to check and then slipped inside, shutting the door behind her.

Sitting on the floor in the corner farthest from the door was Kyoko, her bloodshot eyes wide and unblinking.

"Kyoko san, is something wrong?" Chiori followed Kyoko's fierce glare to an empty corner of the room. 'Nothing's there...'

"Ah, Amamiya san, I didn't realize you had come in." Chiori turned back to see a cheerfully smiling Kyoko brushing herself off as she stood up. "Just give me a moment to grab my purse and I'll be ready to go."

"There's no rush. The ramen shop is only five minutes from the studio." Chiori stepped closer to Kyoko. 'More importantly,' "What were you looking at earlier?"

"Eh?" Kyoko tilted her head to the side and gazed at Chiori in apparent confusion. "When?"

"Just now. Your eyes looked like this." Chiori widened her eyes as far as they could go and directed the full force of her gaze at Kyoko. "It looked as though you were cursing something."

Kyoko smiled sheepishly, "Ah, I was just woolgathering. Shall we go?"

Chiori stared at Kyoko for a moment longer, then smiled. "Follow me."

The walk to the ramen shop was done in companionable silence, with Kyoko lifting her face every time the sun peeked out from behind the clouds.

Chiori surreptitiously watched Kyoko out of the corner of her eye, not wanting Kyoko to realize she was observing her. 'I wonder what it was she was thinking of to make her pull such a fearsome face.' No matter how hard she looked, though, there didn't seem to be anything other than cheerful anticipation in Kyoko's demeanor. Mentally shaking her head, Chiori pointed out the ramen shop's entrance to Kyoko and walked inside. 'Well, it's none of my business.'

"Wow!" Kyoko closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "It smells so good!" Chiori stifled the laugh that bubbled up inside her as she watched Kyoko's eyes lock on to the tonkatsu ramen at a nearby table.

Taking advantage of Kyoko being distracted, Chiori quickly went to the counter to take place their orders for the heavenly smelling ramen. "Kyoko san, remember, today is my treat."

Kyoko immediately grabbed her wallet, shaking her head violently. "No, there's absolutely no need –"

"Even if you say there was no harm done, your hand was injured due to my actions. Since you won't let me apologize, then at least let me treat you to something tasty." Before Kyoko could protest any further, Chiori quickly paid for their orders and ushered her to a table in the back.

The two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence again, both of them content to watch the ramen chefs cook in the open kitchen until their number was called.

"Ah, I think that's ours. Excuse me for a moment." Chiori weaved her way through the lunch crowd and back to the counter to receive their order. Carefully maneuvering around a group of rowdy teenagers, Chiori safely arrived at their table to find Kyoko with the same wide-eyed crazed expression she had shown back in her dressing room.

Setting the food-filled tray down with a clatter, Chiori took a seat and leaned forward over the table, holding Kyoko's gaze with her own. "Kyoko san, what's bothering you? You seem really unsettled right now. Earlier too, actually."

Kyoko's mouth twisted downward as she inched backwards in her seat, but Chiori kept her eyes firmly locked onto Kyoko's. Finally, Kyoko gave a sigh of defeat and murmured, "It's nothing really. Just a dream I keep having has been rather frustrating. That's all."

'Ah, so it's like that.' Chiori settled even lower on her elbows and nodded knowingly. "Those types of dreams are a pain. I've had ones where I woke up practically seething with frustration. It's always the ones where what you really want is held just out of reach, or where someone totally undeserving gets it instead that are the absolute worst." Chiori spat out the last few words, venom lacing her voice.

Kyoko's eyes brightened and she nodded enthusiastically, "That's exactly how I've felt over the last few days!"

"Whenever I start having a dream that just won't go away, I write down all the anger and frustration I feel towards what I remember about the dream. That usually helps me pinpoint what I want and how to obtain it in the dream itself. Chiori smiled evilly. "It feels really good to turn a frustrating as hell dream into one that fills me with satisfaction after crushing any obstacles in my way."

Kyoko's eyes shone with excitement. "So writing about the dream helps to conquer it?"

Chiori leaned back in her chair and shrugged, blowing out all the hot air that had built up during the conversation. "It does for me at least. It wouldn't hurt you to try. For now though," Chiori pushed a bowl of ramen towards Kyoko. "Let's eat."

* * *

Kyoko firmly wrapped a white headband around her forehead, tying it in back with a resounding thwack. The characters for 'Victory' had been written with bold black strokes, a dark bloodlust oozing out from the ink.

Kyoko glared down at the blank notebook before her and wrote the opening shot:

_Defeat the dream! Pummel it into submission!_

With the preliminaries taken care of, Kyoko got down to business.

For the next half hour, Kyoko wrote furiously, causing several grudge Kyokos to writhe in ecstasy at the enormous amount of frustrated energy that poured out of Kyoko and into the notebook, the excess spilling out into the room.

*Ah, this feels amazing.* The grudge Kyokos swirled and twirled about in large lazy loops through the air. A few grudge Kyokos came to rest near Kyoko's hand, exhausted and happy. *This is heaven...*

*Wait. Something's wrong.* The pack of grudges collectively swiveled their heads to face the dissenting voice. *This darkness feels different than normal, as if our beautiful funnel cloud is being choked with dust.*

The other grudges thought for a moment, then nodded reluctantly. *Our master has had an obsession with _that_ man's body for a while now, but this is...*

All the grudges nodded emphatically. *This is an emergency that needs to be addressed. At the rate our master's going, she might really try to touch him all over one day... and then _that _smile will appear.*

A sudden blizzard raged over the grudges. As they huddled together for warmth, a small angelic voice was heard above the roaring wind. *It wouldn't be such a bad thing to touch Tsuruga san. Things like hugging and playing with his hair would definitely feel really nice. It felt wonderful being hugged by Tsuruga san last ti-*

The entire pack of grudge Kyokos descended to beat the living daylights out of the angelic Kyoko that had popped out of nowhere. Once that task was finished, the pack settled into an orderly ring in the middle of the room.

*Our troops have been decimated over and over by that accursed man.* A wave of angry murmurs spread through the room, with voices here and there cursing his name.

*We need to figure out how to put a stop to our master's current train of thought. I don't think our master realizes how close she is to becoming a full-fledged pervert.*

A few grudges took offense to that last remark. *There's nothing wrong with being a pervert! It's only dangerous where _that_ man is concerned.*

The grudges took a moment to ponder that thought, nodding to one another as they came to agree with the perverted faction's views.

*Back to the situation at hand. It would be best if our master got everything out of her system with this next dream, before it's too late. If she really lets him have it tonight, she might not even be able to bring herself to look at him outside of the Dark Moon set.* All of the grudges unanimously agreed, with a few peeking over Kyoko's shoulder to see what she had written.

In bold were the words: _Touch Tsuruga san's tail! Stroke Tsuruga san's fur! No words needed, just do it!_

* * *

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read this chapter. I really do appreciate all of you. Have a wonderful morning, day and night!


	4. Chapter 3

My Ren, My Werewolf

A/N: New chapter, yay! This part of the story keeps getting longer, but it's fun to write, so I'm happy, haha.

Thank you to everyone who has read, review, followed and favorited this story, I really do appreciate it.

Disclaimer: Skip Beat! belongs to Yoshiki Nakamura sensei, may she write Ren and Kyoko's story for at least another ten years.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"Favorite pillow of mine, may I please rest on you tonight?"

Kyoko rolled her eyes at the pleading look in Ren's eyes and patted her lap. "Just for a little while."

Ren smiled down at her and swiftly laid his head in her lap before she could change her mind.

Kyoko stifled a small squeak as Ren settled into a comfortable position. 'I wish Tsuruga san would stop using such suggestive wording when he asks me to do something for him, it's embarrassing to listen to.'

_And yet here you are, dreaming of Tsuruga san saying such familiar and suggestive words to you over and over again, every night._

Kyoko quickly shut out the disturbing thought and threaded her fingers through Ren's hair. The feel of the silky smooth texture, second only to Ren's fur, helped to wash away the embarrassment she felt at being with Ren in such an intimate position. It was Kyoko's firm belief that Ren must have the most touchable hair in Japan, if not the entire world. 'If Tsuruga san's fans knew how pleasant his hair felt to the touch, they would collectively demand to have hair touching sessions in addition to autograph sessions. There would be fan clubs devoted solely to worshiping Tsuruga san's hair. There might even be crazy fans that lie in wait in order to snatch a lock of hair from Tsuruga san himself. If that happened, poor Tsuruga san would definitely end up bald. The legions of fangirls would mourn the loss of such touchable hair, though the shape of Tsuruga san's head is very nice as well... ah, they've finally come out.'

A furry pair of ears had appeared on top of Ren's head and had begun happily twitching back and forth. The creamy white flecks sprinkled across the pale blond fur seemed to shimmer in the dim light, drawing both Kyoko's hands and eyes.

A quiet rumbling vibration tickled the tops of Kyoko's thighs as she scratched and ruffled Ren's ears. Blushing furiously, Kyoko fought the almost overwhelming urge to move away from the source of vibration. 'I must endure. This is the price I must pay to touch Tsuruga san's fur. No matter what, I must not move my legs! My legs must be as solid as a mountain, my heart as still as the surface of a clear lake on a windless day. I feel nothing below my waist. My legs are no longer my legs. They do not exist...' Kyoko's hand slowly stopped moving while she tried to brainwash herself into tranquility, prompting Ren to shove his head against Kyoko's hand and startling her back into action. A happy smile popped up on Kyoko's face at Ren's wordless demand. 'Tsuruga san can act quite childish sometimes.'

Once Ren seemed to realize Kyoko wasn't going to stop, he relaxed against her once more. Taking care not to disturb him again, Kyoko slowly leaned forward until she could see Ren's face. 'The lines around his mouth have disappeared and his face is finally getting some color back.' Kyoko let out a sigh of relief. 'Good, Tsuruga san really does seem better now. I wonder why he insists on exercising on an empty stomach when he's not feeling well. His muscles wouldn't cramp up so much if he would just eat properly. If he keeps this up, even Tsuruga san won't be able to get well just by having me pressure him into eating.' Kyoko frowned ferociously down at Ren's peaceful face. 'Eat properly, you infuriating senpai! Stop making me worry so much!' Ren nuzzled his head against Kyoko's lap as if to pacify her, succeeding brilliantly in the process. 'Ugh, it's hard to stay mad at Tsuruga san when he looks so peaceful... I guess I'll let it go for now...'

After relaxing and enjoying the feel of Ren's fur for a few more minutes, Kyoko turned her attention to the tail swaying lazily back and forth. 'Commence operation "Touch Tsuruga san's Tail." Here I go.'

Moving as slowly as possible, Kyoko carefully switched the hand scratching Ren's ears. Almost immediately, Ren pushed his head even deeper into Kyoko's hand, a low growl resonating deep within his throat.

'I-I guess Tsuruga san likes it better when I use my left hand to scratch upwards. That's s-something to keep in mind.' Kyoko tilted her head back and looked at the ceiling as if praying for help. 'If Tsuruga san keeps this up, I'm really going to die of embarrassment. Please stop growling already, can't you just murmur happily like a normal person? But wait, Tsuruga san is a divine being, he should just be able to smile, no sound necessary. How do I turn this dream to mute?' A tiny whimper was torn from her throat before Kyoko forcibly shut herself up, keeping her right hand pressed to her mouth.

'He didn't hear that, did he?' She watched, wide-eyed as Ren nuzzled her hand one more time before falling silent. 'Oh god, he heard.' Kyoko held her breath, not daring to make another sound as she waited to see what Ren would do. As her face started turning blue, she came to the realization that Ren had stopped making noise. No growling, no rumbling, no blush-inducing vibrations, just silence. With superhuman strength, Kyoko silently started filling her starving lungs and dared to focus her attention back on Ren's tail. 'I can do this.'

Her left hand continued scratching Ren's ears on autopilot, leaving Kyoko to concentrate on slowly reaching out with her right hand towards Ren's tail. A few inches away, Kyoko froze, unable to make her hand move any further after being petrified by her conscience. Her heartbeat grew louder and louder, deafening in the silence that had given her so much relief just a moment ago. Unable to stand it any longer, the words came tumbling out in a rush, "Please, please let me stroke your tail, Tsuruga san!"

Kyoko felt more than saw Ren stiffen, his head slowly turning to look up at her before her vision went black.

'Eh? Where did Tsuruga san go? Tsuruga san?' Concentrating hard, Kyoko tried to go back into the dream, but all that came to mind were thoughts, not images. 'No! Not yet!' "I was so close!" Kyoko's eyes flew open and she shot up out of bed. She shook her head once to clear the last cobwebs from her mind and went over the last few moments of the dream, flinching as she recalled the last desperate plea she had made. "Of course Tsuruga san would be suspicious if I asked in such a desperate manner." Kyoko hung her head and buried her face in her hands. 'The dream probably ended because I didn't have the nerve to hear what Tsuruga san had to say. Now that I think about it, no one would normally say yes to such a strange request." Falling backwards onto the bed, Kyoko rolled around and around in circles, hitting the floor and rolling some more as she silently screamed in embarrassment. 'Why did I have to ask for permission like that? Just a bit more, just a bit more and I would have been touching Tsuruga san's tail as much as I wanted!'

"Just because I let you touch my ears, you think that gives you the right to touch my tail without my permission? What a shameless kouhai you are. My tail is not something just anyone can touch, much less someone that dares to think of taking advantage of a person who's not feeling well. Or did you forget that already?" The new tail on the mini Ren doll gave Kyoko a disdainful slap on the hand. "Wanting to feel my fur is no excuse for your actions."

Kyoko bent her head in shame, "Yes, sir. I'm so sorry, Tsuruga san."

"What was it you wrote in that notebook last night? 'Defeat the dream?'"

Kyoko turned pale as she continued to mimic Ren's voice. "So you view me as an enemy, do you? I'm disappointed to know that's how you see me."

"No! That's not what I meant at all!"

The Ren doll leaned closer to Kyoko, his tail resting on the back of Kyoko's hand. "Oh? Then what did you mean? If you don't view me as an enemy, what do you see me as?"

Kyoko grew stock still, staring at the Ren doll in her hands. "I-I just wanted to touch your tail, that's really all I meant. Even if I may have thought so in the past, I could never see Tsuruga san as an enemy now. I'm very sorry about taking advantage of you last night, but if you could find it in your heart to forgive me," Kyoko set the Ren doll a few feet away and sank into a dogeza, "Please let me touch your tail tonight!"

"No."

* * *

A/N: I wasn't planning on including the little Ren doll at first, but I couldn't resist. I love it when Kyoko mimics Ren in Skip Beat! Though the best scenes are when Ren walks in on her doing so, haha!

Thank you again to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and favorited this chapter, I hope everyone has a wonderful day, night or anything in between. ^^


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